The present invention relates to a method of and system for heat recovery for an internal combustion engine.
Although the efficiency of the internal combustion engine has been improved remarkably in the past 50 years, it is still difficult to operate such an engine with an efficiency of over 35%. The efficiency drops off dramatically as an engine ages and may deteriorate to less than 10% if it has been improperly maintained. With only 10-35% efficiency, this means that the remaining fuel consumption creates heat which therefore is largely unused. Thus, the waste heat from internal combustion engines is considerable and is not being used constructively. Some solutions directed to this objective are disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,378,336, 5,035,867, 5,250,489, 5,711,071, 5,869,011, 5,987,885 and 6,039,913; and Canadian patent Nos. 2,184,632 and 2,247,759. It is believed that the use of heat in the internal combustion engine can be further improved.